The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-06-04

heart was full of hope. She had silently
her cause to God, and she trusted
that he would dispose the event prosperous
ly for her.
The next morning, before the lark had
sung her mathis. Lady Lucy was up and
dressed in suit of deep mourning, which
Amy had provided as the most suitable |
garb for a daughter whose only surviving |
parent was under the sentence Of death. The /
servants, who had been informed of their /
young lady'S intention to solicit the queen |
for her fathers pardon, were all assembled in |
the entrance hall to see her depart; and as |
she passed through them, leaning on her |
nurses arm, and attended by her fathers |
secretary and the old butler, they shed tears, |
and babe God bless her and prosper her in /
her design.
Lady Lucy arrived at Hampton court, was |
introduced into the Countess of Clarendon's |
apartments before her ladyahip was out of
bed. and having told her artless tale with
great earnestness, delivered her fathers let
ter. Lady Clarendon, who was wife to the
queens uncle, was very kind to her young
god-daughter, but plainly told her she must
not reckon on her influence with the queen,
because the Earl Of Clarendon was in dis
grace, on account of being suspected of car
rying on a correspondence with King James,
his brother-in-law therefore she dared mot
solicit the queen on behalf of her friend Lord
Preston, against whom her majesty was so
deeply exasperated, that she had declared
she would not show him any mercy.
"Ohr' said the little girl. ''if ! could only
see the queen myself, l would not wish any
one to speak for me, for / should plead so
earnestly to her for my dear papa's life, that
she could not refuse me I'm sure"
"Poer child! what could you say to the
queen?' asked the countess compassionate
ly.
"Only let me see her and you shall hear
rejoined Lady Lucy.
"Well, my love, it were pity but what
thou shouldst have the opportunity" said
Lady Clarendon; "but much fear thy little
| heart will fail thee, and when thou seest the
| queen face to face, thou wilt not be able to
| utter syllable"
''God will direct the words of my lips"
| said the little girl, with tears in her eyes.
The countess was impressed with the piety
| and filial tenderness of her little god-daugh-
| ter, and she fastened to rise and dress that
| she might conduct the child into the palace
| gallery, where the queen usually passed an
| hour in walking, after her return from chap
| ell, which she attended every morning. Her
majesty had not left the chapel when Lady
| Clarendon and Lady Lucy entered the gal
| lery; and her ladyship endeavored to divert
| the anxious Impotence of her little friend by
| pointing out to her the portraits with which
| it was adorned.
| 81 know that gentleman WE'LL" said the
| child, pointing to noble whole length por-
| trait of James H.
''That is the portrait of the deposed King
| James, Queen Mary's father" observed the
countess signing, land a very striking IKE
| ness it is of that unfn-suIlate monarch. But
| bark he.o comes the queen. with her cham
/ berlain and ladies, from chapel; now, Lucy,
is the time will step into the recess yond-
er, but you must remain alone aA--."'ng
| ing where you are and---shon ner huaJesty
annroacbes ns..r enough, kneel down on one
knee before her and present your fathers
petition. She who walks a little in advance
of the other ladies is the queen. Be of good
courage, and address yourself to her.
| Lady Clarendon then made hasty re-
treat. Lucy's heart futtered violently when
she found herself alone, but her resolution
did not fail her; and while her lips moved
silently in fervent prayer to the almighty for
his assistance in this trying moment, she
stood with folded hands, pale, but composed.
and motionless as a statue, awaiting the
queens approach; and when her majesty
drew near the spot, she advanced step for
ward, knelt and presented the petition.
The extreme beauty of the child, her deep
mourning, the touching sadness of her look
and manner, and above all the streaming
tears which believed her face, excited the
queens attention and interest; she paused,
spoke kindly to her, and took the offered pa.
Preston her color rose. She frowned, cast st
the petition from her, and would have
passed on; but Lucy, who had watched her
countenance with degree of anxious inter
est that amounted to agony, losing all awe
for royalty, in her fears for her father. put
forth her hand, and grasping the queens
robe, cried in an imploring tone:
Spare my father-my dear, dear father,
| royal lady!"
Lucy had meant to say many persuasive
things, but she forgot them all in her sore
distress, and could only repeat the words:
Mercy, mercy for my father, gracious
queen, till her vehement emotion choked
her voice, and throwing her arms around the
queens knees, she leaned her head against
her maiesty's person for support and sobbed
aloud.
The intense sorrow of a child is always pc
culiarly touching; but the circumstances I'M
der which Lucy appeared were mere than
commonly affecting. 1t was a daughter, not
beyond the season of infancy, oyermaster
| ing the timidity of that tender age, to be-
| come suppliant to an offended sovereign
| for the life of father Queen Mary pitied
the distress of her young petitioner; but she
considered the death of Lord Preston as a
measure of political necessity; she there
fore told Lucy mildly, but firmly, that she
could not grant her request.
i. "But he is good and kind to every one."
said Lucy, raising her blue eyes, which were
swimming in tears, to the face of the queen
He may be so to you, child" returned
her majesty; but he has broken the laws of
his country, and therefore he must die"
"Gut you can pardon him il you choose to
do so, madame, replied Lucy; land have
read that God is well pleased with those who
forgive; for he has said. BLESSED are the
merciful, for they shall obtain mercy"
ut does not become little girl like YOU
to instruct me" replied the queen grayely
Il am acquainted with my duty; and as it is
my place to administer justice impartially, it
is not possible for me to pardon your father,
however painful it may be for me to deny
the request of so dutiful child"
Lucy did not reply; she only raised her
eyes with an appealing look to the queen.
and then turned them expressively on the
portrait of King James, opposite 10 which
her majesty was standing There was some !
thing in that look that bore no common
meaning; and the queen whose curiosity was
excited by the peculiarly emphatic manner |
OF the child could not refrain from asking |
wherefore she gazed so earnestly upon that |
picturep Il was thinking" replied Lady |
Lucy, "how strange it was that you should |
wish to klli my father, only because he loved
This wise but artless reproof from the lips /
OF infant innocence, went to the heart of |
the queen she raised her eyes to the once |
dear and honored countenance of parent |
,who whatever were his political errors as a
KING, or his offences against others. had ev- /
er been the tenderest of parents to her: and /
the remembrance that he was an exile in a
foreign land, relying on the bounty of strane-
ers for bis daily bread, while she and her
husband were invested with the regal inheri- |
n M "a Il TAI h. 1.~ll Il